


A Merman's Tail

by remivel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Little Mermaid AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-15
Updated: 2012-11-15
Packaged: 2017-11-18 17:46:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/563718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remivel/pseuds/remivel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel was a merman who was born with the tail of a Great White Shark. Treated as an abomination by his own kind, Castiel found solace in observing humans and following their ships. He was content with watching them from afar, until he saved Dean, a human prince, from being killed by a shark. Soon, watching Dean from afar was not enough, and he wished to leave his life under the sea for a chance at being part of Dean's world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Merman's Tail

**Author's Note:**

> Done for SPN-Reversebang for [this art by terrorinyertub.](http://terrorinyertub.livejournal.com/6755.html)  
> Many thanks to my betas, [ Savanna](http://crimsonminion.tumblr.com) and [Kaz](http://meloenijs.livejournal.com), and to my cheerleader, [Juliana.](http://jufelicio.tumblr.com) And of course, kudos to the lovely artist Terror for the wonderful prompt.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a young merman named Castiel. He was the youngest son of the ruler of the sea, King Triton (more widely known simply as Chuck), and he was unlike any of his kind. While other merpeople had tails that resembled brightly colored fish, Castiel’s tail and coloring was that of a great white shark—a creature feared throughout the undersea kingdom for its power and ferocity. Some believed he was cursed by the sea demon, Crowley, born to bring death and destruction to his father’s reign. Others just saw him as an abomination, something to be rudely stared at and gossiped over.

Despite his strange appearance, Castiel had something no other sea creature had: a voice that sounded like rocks and sand and corals scraping against each other. It was magic to the ears of undersea life… a sound that pierced through the water like a barracuda, bringing a halt to the slow and monotonous sounds of the sea and a stark contrast to the usually soft and melodious voices of the merpeople. To Castiel, however, his voice was not something he was proud of. To him, it was just one other thing that made him different from everybody else.

He felt like an outcast in his own kingdom, and so he grew up preferring to hide in his room or sit in the anemone fields alone. Until one day, as he looked out his window, he saw a massive ship sailing by.

The merpeople held no love for humans. They believed humans were weak and useless creatures. They could not use magic like the merpeople, and yet the humans acted as if they owned the lands and the seas, building docks and ports on the shore and killing off the coral reefs there. Oftentimes, the merpeople found delight in pulling pranks and malicious tricks on the humans—making the fishermen grow barnacles on their legs, pulling down the trousers of swimming men, and making the bathing garments of women disappear.

Castiel, however, shared none of the other merpeople’s hatred towards humans. He followed the ship that day, and became enamored with the humans and their inventions. From then on, he collected human artifacts from sunken vessels and quietly followed ships that passed by the palace. He was content to just watch the humans from afar, until one day he encountered a human that would change his life.

+++

It was dark, and most of the merpeople were already asleep, but Castiel was outside, lured by the looming shadow of a large ship passing by his window. A storm had just passed, and the seas were rough, so Cas had a harder time catching up to the ship. But from afar, he saw a small figure floating on the water, and a tiger shark swimming towards it. Then he smelled it: blood.

It was an injured human!

Cas made a mad dash towards the tiger shark and yelled, “Leave it be!”

The shark stopped and turned around. From afar, Castiel looked like a great white and the tiger shark hesitated. “You are not a White,” the shark accused, before turning around and continuing to swim. Just when the shark was about to bite the human’s leg, Cas barreled towards the shark and knocked it away. A swipe of the shark’s tail knocked the human off the plank he was floating on, and soon he was sinking.

“This human is mine,” Castiel growled, swimming in between the human and the shark.

The tiger flashed its rows of teeth at Castiel. “I’m not scared of you, Merman,” it said before lunging towards Castiel with its jaws wide open.

Concentrating his energy in his palms, Castiel ducked away from the shark’s teeth and pushed his hand into the shark’s jaw, its skin glowing white before the power on Cas’ hand shot it ten feet out of the water. It came back down with a violent splash that made the shark dizzy and aching all over.

“Leave,” Castiel said to the shark, who gave him an angry glare before turning around and swimming away with wobbly strokes.

When he was sure the shark wasn’t about to return, Castiel turned and swam for the human. He had been underwater dangerously long and Castiel feared he had already drowned. His left shoulder was bleeding as well, and Cas pulled him towards him as he swam to the surface. They broke through the surface and Cas looked at the deathly pale face of the man in his arms. “Please be alive, please be alive,” he whispered.

He frantically searched the horizon for the ship, and saw a tiny figure to his left silhouetted by the rising sun. It was heading to the dock on the other side of the cove. Castiel wouldn’t be able to swim that far with the man in tow. He turned to his left and saw the other tip of the cove was closer, and struggled to swim that way, careful to keep the man’s head above water.

Castiel had trouble hauling the man out of the water and onto the beach. Placing his palm on his shoulder, he used his magic to heal his wound. Once the wound was closed and the human was still not breathing, Cas held on. Pushing more of his magic into his palm, he tried to make him breathe.

It was a heart-stopping few seconds when nothing happened, until the man started to sputter and spit up water. Castiel let go of him and he was startled to see an imprint on his palm was left on the man’s shoulder.

He continued to cough up water while he lay on his side, then he turned and collapsed again on his back, groaning. “Ugggghhh… my head…”

Castiel was alarmed. “Do you need me to heal your head?” he asked worriedly.

The man tried to crack his eyes open, but his eyelids were so heavy he only managed to open them halfway, and even then, he could not focus on the man in front of him. “Who…?” he asked.

“I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from the depths of the ocean,” Castiel explained.

The man might not have been able to open his eyes, but his ears were working fine, and that voice in his ears was like magic. It was a low, gravely sound that would have made his toes curl if only circumstances were different. “Y-you saved me?” he asked.

Castiel nodded.

When he didn’t hear a response, the man tried opening his eyes, and he was more successful this time around. Just as the sun continued its ascent in the sky, he was able to see a pair of big, blue eyes. They were bright, electric blue like lightning cutting through the night sky. They held a certain power in their depths, swirling around like stars in his eyes. It made him forget how to breathe.

It seemed like the man was about to speak, but just then, Castiel heard the thundering footsteps of several men shouting and coming their way. He may have powers, but he still could get caught by the humans. Without a second thought, Castiel turned and retreated into the water.

“Wait!” the man called out but Cas was already gone. He tried to sit up but found he was too weak so he lay back down onto the sand. “I didn’t get your name…” he said before letting out another loud groan. “Urgh… my head…”

+++

Castiel’s heroic act didn’t go so well with the merpeople. When the king found out that Castiel fought against a tiger shark to save a human’s life, he was furious. “You could’ve gotten killed, Castiel!” King Chuck growled. He was a small merman, but he was the most powerful merman in all of the sea. He was extremely kind as well, and the only thing that seemed to test his patience was his youngest son.

“I saved a human,” Castiel replied.

“At the risk of your own life. No human is worth that, Castiel,” King Chuck said.

“He deserved to live. I’m not doing anything wrong by showing compassion for humans, father.”

“I can tolerate your interest in humans… but not when it endangers your life. Stay away from humans from now on, do you understand?” Chuck said.

Castiel gritted his teeth before turning around and swimming away.

+++

Meanwhile, the human Castiel saved was no ordinary person. He was Dean, Prince of Winchester, and when he was returned to the palace, safe and suspiciously in perfect health, he would not stop talking about the man that saved him.

“I’m telling you, he’s real,” Dean said as he lay on his bed in the palace, the food tray lying ignored in front of him.

“Right, Dean…” Sam, his younger brother, just nodded. “Eat your breakfast first, okay? You’ve had a rough night.”

“You think? I fell off the ship and you guys didn’t even bother to come look for me!” Dean said. “I had to be rescued by a total stranger.”

“Yeah, a stranger that had amazingly blue eyes and the most captivating voice you’ve ever heard? Dean, you were probably just hallucinating,” Sam said. “And we looked for you, okay? We sent boats to search for you as quickly as we could. I was so worried I couldn’t sleep all night. Ellen and Jo were inconsolable.”

Dean looked up at Sam guiltily. “Alright, I’m sorry,” he said. “But he was real, okay? I wasn’t hallucinating,” he insisted.

“Whatever you say,” Sam said with a smile. “Now eat your breakfast.”

“I want him found, Sam,” Dean said seriously. “I owe him my life.”

“Don’t worry,” Sam reassured him. “Anyone who saves the prince’s life deserves a reward. We’ll let the kingdom know we’re searching for him.”

Dean nodded before finally giving his attention to his food tray.

+++

Castiel went back to the part of the cove where he left the human and found him walking quietly along the beach with his dog. He followed, watching from afar as the man tossed stones into the sea and paced back and forth. He had been watching him for a few days now, and each day the man returned to that shore at exactly the same time and walked around for an hour before leaving.

One day, he came with a giant of a man, and Cas swam as close as he could to listen to their conversations. It was then that he discovered the man’s name: Dean. The other man was his brother, Sam, and they were princes who lived in the large castle by the shore. After they left the cove that day, Cas swam to the castle, hoping to catch a glimpse of him there.

Once he reached the beach by the castle, he could hear the sounds of music and laughter. He hid behind the rocks and watched from afar as the humans danced on the sand, a large bonfire illuminating their happy faces as the sun slowly began to set. They were celebrating the safe return of their prince.

Dean was there, sitting in the sand with his big, black dog, a bottle in one hand and a stick in the other. He threw the stick and the dog bolted after it.

Around the fire, the men and women danced merrily and Cas watched their feet as they shuffled and jumped about. He wondered what that would feel like. To have feet.

These humans certainly didn’t all have legs that looked exactly the same, but nobody seemed to mind. One man had a belly like a puffer fish and he had very short, fat legs. Another man had stick thin legs that looked like they could snap at any moment. And Dean’s brother, Sam, had legs so long they looked like those poles the humans used to build their docks on. Cas shot a sad look at his unusual tail. If he were human and he had legs as well… nobody would think he was different. Nobody would laugh at him or cower in fear at the sight of his tail. He would be accepted. He would belong.

Cas looked back at the humans dancing on the sand. Sam danced merrily around the fire, and he stopped and tried to pull Dean up from where he sat. When Dean stood up, this was the first time Cas realized he had the most curious pair of legs. They looked strong and bowed outward when he stood. And when he walked, he wobbled like his legs were jellyfish tentacles and Cas had to stifle a laugh. He looked up at Dean’s face, and his breath caught in his throat.

He really was a beautiful man. Sun-kissed skin with freckles like bits of shiny coral, hair the color of dark sand, and eyes that shone a bright, bright green. Like the color of towering trees soaked in sunlight on the islands. And when he smiled, it was like sunlight as well, blinding and so very warm. Castiel found himself wishing he could touch Dean’s face, trace those lips as if he could feel the warmth of the sun just from his smile.

“I’m heading to bed,” he heard Dean say, his face looking red from all the liquid he had consumed.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a big, black hairy face appeared before him. Cas looked, startled at the animal panting in front of him. They had a staring contest for what seemed like ages before Cas spoke. “Hello,” he said.

The thing grinned at him, and rather loudly replied, “HELLO HUMAN FISH!!!”

Castiel ducked, hiding from the view of the animal

“Baby!” he heard Dean call, and the dog bounded back to the shore.

When Cas dared to peek again, the dog was by Dean’s side, and Cas watched as Dean affectionately ran his fingers through the dog’s now wet fur. “What’re you doing barking at the waves?” Dean asked. The dog barked again. “I saw a human fish!” Castiel heard him bark, but Dean did not understand (he was a human, how could he?) and he beckoned for his dog to follow him. Castiel craned his neck to watch them walk away.

+++

The night was getting darker and Castiel swam quickly back to the palace. He had only been sneaking out to see Dean by the shore for the past few days. Had his father found out, he’d be in big trouble.

However, trouble was the one that sought him out that night.

From the darkness of the ocean, a figure with large tentacles emerged and blocked his path home. It was the sea demon Crowley.

“I can’t help but notice your interest in the human creatures,” Crowley said, inspecting a suction cup from his 6th tentacle. “I’ve come to offer you a deal…”

But Castiel was not fooled. “I don’t make deals with demons,” Castiel said directly.

“Oh I’m sure you’ll find my offer quite appealing…” Crowley said. “Since you like humans so much… I thought I’d be so kind as to give you a chance to be one of them.”

Castiel’s eyebrow twitched, the only sign that he was surprised by Crowley’s words. “No such magic exists.”

“Oh but it does, little merman,” Crowley cooed. “What do you take me for? Some half bit sea demon? I am the king of demons, Castiel. I know spells and magic and potions and brews your all-powerful father couldn’t even dream of.”

Something slick slid around Castiel’s tail and he recoiled from it. He looked at his tail and saw two eels slithering around him. No doubt Crowley brought his eels to intimidate him. One shock from these eels could paralyze a merman for hours.

“I can give you a chance, Castiel,” Crowley paused, before focusing his bright red eyes on Castiel. “I can make you human. Isn’t that what you want?”

Clenching his fists to his side, Castiel swallowed. His mind was running in circles thinking what if Crowley wasn’t lying, what if this was his chance to be human, to walk on land and bask in the warmth of the sun—in the warmth of Dean’s smile.

“Think about it…” Crowley said with a sly smile, turning around to leave. “Meg… Ruby… let’s go,” he said, beckoning his eels to follow him. They slithered around Cas’ tail one last time before following Crowley and vanishing in a puff of blank ink in the water.

+++

Castiel returned to the cove to watch Dean again the next day. This time, one of his fish friends decided to follow him. “Why are you watching him anyway?” asked Alfie, a red and white striped fish.

“I’ve never used that much healing magic on someone before. I might’ve ended up hurting him,” Castiel explained, poking his head out of the water to watch Dean again. He ducked his head underwater every time Dean’s gaze went his direction.

“You mean the mark you left on his shoulder?” Alfie said.

“Yes. That has never happened before,” Cas said, stopping again to poke his head out of the water. “What do you think he is doing, Alfie?” Cas asked.

Alfie sighed. He was about to say something when the sound of the man yelling something startled him.

Cas ducked his head underwater quickly to hide. Even below the surface, however, the man’s voice could clearly be heard.

“Hey! If you’re out there… show yourself!” Dean yelled.

Alfie looked at Cas nervously. “He saw you?”

Cas shook his head. “He never sees me, I make sure of it.”

“Then why?” Alfie asked.

The shouting resumed and Alfie watched Castiel’s face as the merman listened to the human’s voice. “Tell me I’m not crazy, okay? Tell me you’re real? That—that I didn’t make you up,” Dean yelled out into the ocean. “That you really did save me… Come out, okay?”

Castiel’s face fell as he realized his heart was beating fast and hard. “Let’s go,” he told Alfie before swimming away. He wanted to come out of the water, he wanted to go to Dean and wrap his arms around him. It disturbed him.

He was falling in love with Dean.

It was a realization that left him reeling. He had never felt this way before for anyone… happy just from seeing their face and hearing their voice. And he wanted to feel that way again.

Clenching his fists, Castiel swam away, Crowley’s voice ringing in his ears. I can make you human. Isn’t that what you want?

+++

“Where did you run off to this time, Castiel?” Balthazar, the king’s crab advisor, asked him the moment he returned to the palace.

“Nowhere important,” Castiel answered before he entered his room.

Balthazar shot Alfie an intimidating look and Alfie just laughed nervously before dashing inside the room.

+++

The next day, Balthazar followed them out into the shore. He saw Castiel swimming dangerously close to the shore… so close that the dog started barking at him and the human almost saw him.

Balthazar panicked.

He rushed back to the palace to inform the King.

King Chuck was so furious he dragged Castiel back into the palace himself and ordered him to be watched by the guards.

Now Balthazar perched on Castiel’s window, watching the young merman sulk on his bed as he toyed with the latest artifact he had found.

“Your father is a kind king. He wouldn’t have been so mad had you followed his orders,” Balthazar said.

“My father wouldn’t have been so mad had I been normal,” Cas retorted. “I know my father, Balthazar. He thinks there’s some truth to the rumors; that I will be the cause of his demise one day.”

“That’s not true,” Balthazar said. “Your father loves you. There’s a purpose to everything he does, Castiel. He only wants you to be happy.”

Cas frowned. “Then why aren’t I happy?”

“Maybe that’s a question you should ask yourself,” Balthazar told him. Then, shaking his claws, he jumped off the window sill and crawled towards the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me… I have a date with a lovely blue crab tonight,” he said, winking slyly. “Wish me luck!”

“Good luck,” Castiel said without much enthusiasm.

+++

When Balthazar returned that night, Castiel was gone.

+++

Despite his doubts, Castiel made a decision. He sneaked out of the palace and went straight for Crowley’s cave to make a deal with him. There, the sea demon gave him a vial with red liquid inside.

“This will make you human. Fully human. That means you will be unable to use your magic,” Crowley explained. “But the spell only lasts for one month… unless you manage to make the human fall in love with you.”

“You mean he has to declare his love for me?” Castiel asked in confusion. 

“Essentially, yes,” Crowley replied. “A simple ‘I love you’ would suffice,” he explained. “If you fail, you turn back into a merman once the sun has set on your month on land.”

“Why not a kiss?” Castiel ventured.

“Oh please,” Crowley said, rolling his eyes. “What are you, twelve? Everybody kisses these days. It no longer means anything. A heartfelt declaration of love however… well that’s rare.”

Castiel looked at the vial. “After a month, I will simply turn back?” he asked. “I fail to see how my turning back will benefit you.”

Crowley chuckled again as he settled down on his throne crafted from whale bones. “You were always too smart for your own good, little merman. You don’t simply turn back into a merman. You turn back and you’re mine.”

Castiel’s brow furrowed. “What—“

“I will own you. Well, your soul, actually. You will live the rest of your life as one of my pets,” he said. The eels he called Meg and Ruby slithered in front of him and he petted one affectionately. Cas eyed the eels warily. “Not these pets, no,” Crowley said. “You’re too special to be turned into an eel,” he said. “I think I’d like my very own great white…”

Castiel eyes grew big in alarm. “Once the spell is over, you will turn me into a shark?”

“You’re already half a shark anyway… feared by your people, ridiculed for your difference. At least this time, they’d have genuine reason to fear you… but like I said, only if you fail. If you think that human you saved was worth the risk… then by all means,” Crowley said, gesturing to the vial.

Castiel picked it up and stared intently at the red liquid swirling inside. If he failed to get the human’s love, would becoming a real shark even be a punishment? At least if he became a real shark, he will no longer be ridiculed. Great whites are feared, but at least the creatures of the sea respected them.

“Castiel, don’t!” he heard Balthazar scream.

Whipping around, he saw Balthazar and Alfie by the mouth of Crowley’s cave.

Crowley tutted. “I hate it when I get unwanted visitors,” he said, snapping his fingers. In an instant, his eels were on the crab and the small fish, impeding their movement.

“If I drink this, you promise you will not harm them,” Castiel told him.

“Yes, of course. It’s beneath me to harm such insignificant creatures anyway,” Crowley said.

Cas took a deep breath and uncapped the vial.

“Oh and one more thing,” Crowley said. Cas stopped and leveled his gaze at him. “There’s a certain… side-effect to this potion.”

“Side-effect?”

“Yes… as you drink the potion, something unique to you must be left inside the vial in its place.”

“And what would that be?” Cas asked, though he already had an idea what it could be.

“Your voice,” Crowley informed him, delighting in the look of surprise on Castiel’s face. “It’s a small price to pay for your very own legs, I assure you.”

“My voice…” Castiel said. He never really saw the importance of his voice. To his father, it was probably the only thing he can be proud Castiel had. To him, however, it was just one other thing that made him different from others. “…I have no use for my voice,” he said, and with one final movement, he put the vial to his lips and drank.

Alfie and Balthazar watched in horror as Castiel drank the vile red liquid inside. They tried to scream, but their mouths were covered by the eels. Meanwhile, Crowley’s eyes glowed bright red with interest as Castiel gulped the liquid. As the red liquid began to vanish from the vial, a bright blue light started to replace it. The light grew brighter and brighter until it engulfed the whole cave in its glow.

And then it was gone.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Castiel looked at the vial curiously. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He looked at Crowley in alarm, but Crowley just grinned darkly at him.

Then he felt it: a pain so intense it was like being shocked by a hundred eels at once. The last thing he saw before everything turned black was Alfie and Balthazar’s worried faces.

+++

“It’s been more than a week, Dean,” Sam said as they made their way back to the beach. “Nobody has seen this mystery man with blue eyes you kept talking about.”

“I’m not gonna give up Sammy,” he said, watching Impala run excitedly before him towards the shore. “That man saved my life. I wanna be able to thank him properly.”

“Has it ever occurred to you that you could have been hallucinating then?” Sam asked. When Dean shot him a venomous glare, Sam shook his head. “Alright, alright. I won’t say that again. It’s just every time you describe him, he sounds exactly like your type.”

“I did not imagine him, okay?” Dean grunted. “I wish I did, that way I wouldn’t be so hung up about him.”

“What would you say? If you found him… would you ask how you got this palm mark on your shoulder?” Sam asked.

Dean looked at his arm and frowned. “I have a feeling he’s not just a man, Sammy,” Dean said thoughtfully.

“For the last time, Dean, merpeople aren’t—“

Impala’s loud barking caught their attention, and when the two men walked down to the beach, they saw him—a naked man washed ashore.

“Holy shit,” Dean cursed as they ran towards the unconscious man. Sam helped him drag the man out of the water, and when he turned him around, Dean gasped. “It’s him!”

Sam checked the man for a pulse. He was alive. “What do you mean, him?” Sam asked.

“This is the guy that saved me.”

+++

“They took him!” Alfie said in panic. “Balthazar, the humans took him! What do we do?”

Balthazar watched the two men carry Castiel away. “The only thing we can do make sure the human falls in love with Castiel.”

+++

This is the guy that saved me, I’m sure,” Dean declared as they stood by the side of the bed and watched the doctor check over the unconscious man. “He looks hotter than I remember,” Dean said in awe as he leaned down to stare intently at the man’s sleeping face.

“I know the guy’s a stud muffin but back off Dean,” Gabriel said, pushing Dean away. “I’m trying to work.”

Dean rolled his eyes and moved back. Gabriel may have a serious attitude problem, but he was the best doctor in the land. Plus, he was pretty sure Gabe and Sam had a thing going on between them. “So what’s the verdict, doc? Is he going to wake up soon?”

“It’s hard to tell,” Gabriel said, pulling out a lollipop and popping it into his mouth. Then, Castiel began to stir and Gabriel gasped, “Oh wait! He’s waking up.”

Dean leaned in closer, and his breath hitched when the man finally opened his eyes—a bright shade of blue just like he remembered. He was right. This was the man he’d been searching for all this time.

Castiel blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to focus. The first thing he noticed was how dry everything was. But he had no time to process that, for he saw someone’s face leaning very close towards him.

“Hello,” he said cheerfully.

Castiel’s eyes grew wide and he sat up and away from the man, his arms flailing to his sides.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there,” he heard a familiar voice say, before two strong arms gripped his shoulders, steadying him on the soft thing he lay on.

Castiel turned his gaze to this man, and was surprised to see Dean’s face smiling at him—the face that he had only seen from afar, now mere inches away.

“You’re in the palace,” Dean explained. “I’m Dean, and this here is Gabriel,” he said, gesturing to the other man.

“Heya,” the man with a stick in his mouth said. “Call me Gabriel, or Gabe, or Doc, if you want. I am a doctor, you know,” he clarified, reaching his hand out for a shake.

Castiel just looked at the hand Gabriel extended with a confused expression. He turned back to look at Dean, and was instantly mesmerized by the beauty in his face.

“Do you remember me? I was the guy you saved from the sea a week ago,” Dean said.

Castiel nodded carefully.

Dean grinned. “That’s great. Hey, what’s your name?”

‘Castiel,’ Cas said, but no sound came out. He frowned and tried again, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he was still unable to utter a single word. He looked at Dean in helplessness, and his heart broke when he saw Dean’s face fall.

“You… you can’t speak?” Dean asked, his face falling. If this man couldn’t speak… could he really be the person who saved him?

Castiel shook his head. He remembered now. In exchange for legs, he had to give up his voice. At the thought of having legs, Castiel gasped. He shifted in the bed, quickly pulling off the blankets covering his body. And there he saw them, legs that extended almost as long as his tail. It was now covered in a strange, soft garment, but his feet peeked through the holes at the bottom and he wiggled them experimentally. Cas looked back up at Dean, his face bright and happy.

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, we couldn’t let you sleep in the palace without clothes, now, can we?”

Cas smiled in response.

“How are you feeling?” Gabriel asked Castiel.

Cas just cocked his head to the side before looking back down to his legs and gliding his hands down the soft fabric that covered his legs.

Dean followed the movement of the stranger’s hands and gulped nervously when the man’s fingers caressed the fabric that stretched rather nicely around his thighs.

“Aaaand I think it’s time we leave our guest to rest for a while,” Gabriel said, standing up from his stool. “Come along now, Dean,” Gabriel said.

Dean tore his gaze away from the man’s hands and smiled sheepishly when Gabriel shot him a knowing look. He looked back to his guest. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Get some rest,” he said before he followed Gabriel out of the room.

Cas longingly followed Dean with his eyes. He didn’t want to be left alone in this strange, dry place.

“Thank goodness you’re awake,” he heard Balthazar say.

Castiel looked to the side to see the crab emerge from behind a flower vase on the side table.

“Are you all right?” Balthazar asked.

Castiel nodded and pointed at his feet enthusiastically.

“Yes, I can see you have feet,” he said, jumping to the bed and crawling towards Cas’ feet. “Can you use them?”

Castiel lifted his foot up and accidentally slammed it down on top of the crab.

“Ouch! Okay, I get it, you can use it. Let’s try practicing how to walk, shall we?” Balthazar said.

Castiel looked at him in confusion. He thought Balthazar would be angry at him for making a deal with a sea demon, but Balthazar was here, trying to help him out. It warmed his heart.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Balthazar said. “There’s nothing we can do. The deal has been made. What we can do now is make that prince of yours fall in love with you.”

Castiel smiled.

“Here’s what we’ll do…”

+++

The next day, Dean invited Castiel to go out to see the kingdom. Cas stepped out of the castle and his face lit up once the sunlight hit his face. Land was really very different from the ocean, and he marveled at the strong beasts that pulled their carriage, and was fascinated by everything he saw: the fruits in the market, the colorful garments in the shops, even the people just passing by.

At first he felt self conscious. Surely they’d know he was different. Every time he went to the marketplace underwater, people stared at him and the children screamed and cried when they saw his tail. But it wasn’t the same on land. He looked down at his legs again, and at the people walking by. He wasn’t a freak anymore. For the first time in his life, he belonged.

Meanwhile, Dean was enamored by the child-like way Cas looked at things. His big eyes grew impossibly wider at the sight of pigs rolling in the mud, and he walked toward them, with every intent to study them closer. Dean grabbed him by the arm just as he was about to enter the pen. “Whoa, easy there. You’ll get your feet and your clothes dirty.”

Cas cocked his head to the side. ‘Dirty?’ he thought. Then he realized what Dean meant and he nodded in understanding. ‘Of course, I can get dirty now,’ Cas thought.

“Here… I know a place you might like…” Dean said with a bright smile.

They rode in their carriage again and after a few minutes, they stopped by a large, grassy field. Dean brought out a picnic basket. “Lunch,” Dean said.

Cas sat on the grass next to Dean, and he couldn’t help but run his hands along the blades of grass. It was so very different than the sea grass, and when a butterfly came flitting close, Cas’ eyes were glued to its beautiful wings. It was almost like magic.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this is your first time seeing a butterfly,” Dean said in amusement.

Cas looked away from the butterfly quickly. He didn’t want Dean to think he was weird. That was the last thing he wanted right now. He needed Dean to like him. Even Balthazar told him to try and act normal. He could not screw this up.

“Sandwich?” Dean asked, handing him something square and covered in paper. It didn’t look too appetizing.

‘This is food?’ Castiel thought and was about to bite into it when he saw Dean unwrapping the square to reveal something that looked far more edible than the paper. Castiel mimicked Dean and unwrapped his too and took a large bite. It tasted better than he expected, and when they were through eating, they just lied down on the grass and watched the clouds.

Then Dean started talking again, and Castiel thought it didn’t matter that he couldn’t speak. He loved listening to Dean’s stories. He talked enough for the both of them: about his brother, about his dog, the kingdom, his parents… and every time he spoke, Cas couldn’t help but stare at him.

Dean looked back at Cas on the grass and was struck by the admiration on his face. He felt the sudden urge to kiss him, and before he could stop himself, he leaned down and did so. It was a soft, chaste kiss at first that became more passionate when Cas brought his arm around Dean’s neck. When they parted, Castiel was blushing and he almost didn’t want to part from Dean. Then he remembered Crowley tell him that everybody kissed nowadays and frowned. If it was only a kiss that Crowley wanted, then he would’ve already succeeded in becoming a human completely.

+++

After their lunch in the field, Dean invited Castiel to ride on a boat at a lagoon. Cas was reluctant at first. He didn’t want to go to somewhere with water again. However, when Dean rowed the boat in the picturesque lagoon, Castiel had to admit this freshwater area held some appeal. But he was mostly looking at Dean’s face instead.

“Have you always been this way? I mean, I apologize for asking…. But it’s been bothering me,” Dean began.

Castiel tilted his head to the side in question.

“I mean… have you been unable to speak for a long time?” Dean asked.

Castiel shook his head at that.

Dean’s face brightened momentarily. “That’s great! I- I mean… It’s not great that you can’t speak. It’s great coz that means you were really the one who saved me, right?”

Castiel nodded.

“We have to find out what’s wrong. Maybe it’s just temporary. I have so many questions… like do you know your palm print is seared on my shoulder? How did that happen?” Dean asked.

Castiel looked alarmed for a second before he shook his head and waved his hands to gesture ‘No’. He didn’t want to lie to him, but Dean can’t know he was a merman. How could he ever love him if he was something other than human?

Dean’s enthusiasm was tempered by Cas’ vehement denial. “So you don’t know how that happened?” Dean asked.

Cas lied and shook his head.

“But you saved me… on the beach that day, that was you?” he asked again.

Castiel nodded in response.

That reassured Dean and he smiled brightly at Cas.

“You know, I feel so weird not knowing your name,” Dean remarked.

Castiel looked at him curiously. ‘You want to know my name?’ he thought.

“Hey, how about I try and guess your name?” Dean asked.

Cas nodded enthusiastically.

“Mmm… let’s see… first name that comes to mind is… Misha?”

Cas looked at Dean like he’d grown a second head.

Dean laughed. “Okay, sorry, sorry. That sounded like a girl’s name anyway. I bet your name is something better… something with more appeal…. How about Dmitri?”

Castiel cringed and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“Okay, not Dmitri then.”

In Castiel’s pocket, Balthazar rolled his eyes. “This human is hopeless…” he mumbled.

“Let me see… Jake? Emmanuel? Dave?” Dean guessed, and each time Cas shook his head and looked at him weirdly. “Okay, I quit,” he said with a laugh. “Is there any way I can find out your name?”

Castiel watched Dean’s face for a moment, and he felt helpless since he couldn’t find a way to tell him.

From his pocket, he heard Balthazar grumble. “Must I do everything?” he asked. “You’re lucky I wasn’t cursed and I still have my magic. I’ll help you out. Now do it like this…”

Castiel listened to Balthazar’s instructions, then slowly reached for Dean’s hand.

Dean let Castiel take his hand, and was surprised when Castiel placed Dean’s fingers on his lips. They were soft to the touch, and suddenly Dean was inexplicably hyperaware of every minute movement of Castiel’s lips, and soon he realized Castiel was carefully forming the syllables of his name.

“Cas… okay, Cas-tee-yel? Casteeyel?” Dean asked. “Is that your name? Castiel?”

Castiel nodded, taking Dean’s hand off his lips and letting it go.

Dean looked down at his fingers, unable to forget the feeling of Castiel’s lips on his skin. It was almost like… magic.

A wide grin slowly formed on Dean’s face. “Castiel… Castiel…” he repeated. “That’s a really nice name. It’s kind of a mouthful though. How ‘bout ‘Cas’? Do you mind if I call you Cas?”

Castiel shook his head and smiled.

“Cas… Cas… I could get used to saying your name,” Dean said.

Castiel’s smile widened. In his pocket, Balthazar rolled his eyes again. “Humans.”

+++

Several days passed and Cas was learning so much about Dean and about living on land. And he found himself falling further in love with both. Dean found out Cas liked to go to the field, so he’d go with him there every day. Sometimes they played with a ball, other times they went there to play with Impala. The dog loved Cas, because although Cas couldn’t speak, he understood what she was saying, and the dog knew it and adored him for it.

“Throw the stick, Castiel. Please throw the stick,” she said excitedly. Cas smiled and did as he was told. He watched Impala run after the stick and Dean chuckled. “I can’t believe how much Baby likes you. I’m feeling sort of jealous,” Dean said.

Castiel looked at Dean and tilted his head to the side. ‘Jealous? Of whom?’ he thought.

+++

He got to know Sam and Gabriel as well. Though he didn’t look it, Sam was a scholar and he loved books and reading. Gabriel, on the other hand, was a trickster. He was well respected as a doctor, but he often joked and played pranks on the brothers, and at times, on Castiel as well.

He was also dangerously perceptive, and he was the first to notice Castiel’s affections for the prince. “You like Dean, don’t you?” he asked, out of the blue, while they were in the reading room.

Castiel was startled by the question, but found no reason to deny it, so he nodded.

Gabriel made a satisfied sound. “I thought as much,” he said. “Don’t worry,” he reassured. “He likes you too. You’re definitely his type,” Gabriel told him.

Cas could only blush at that.

“He might not tell you that himself, ‘cause Deano isn’t a really big fan of emotional love confessions… he hates those kinds of things,” he explained.

Castiel tried to hide the disappointment on his face at that revelation. Dean may have affection for him but he will never say it out loud? What then? What hope did he have now of remaining human?

“Nawww, don’t look like that,” Gabriel said when he noticed the glum look on Castiel’s face. “Don’t let Dean’s emotional constipation bring you down,” he said. “You can always just punch the words out of him if that’s what you want,” he said with a wink.

This made Castiel smile. Oh, if only it were that easy.

+++

Before Castiel knew it, two whole weeks have passed, and nothing had changed between him and Dean. Since then, they’ve shared a handful of kisses, and it was great. It felt great. But it was not enough.

“We’ve only got half a month left, Castiel,” Balthazar reminded him. “Now, it’s obvious that the prince adores you… but we don’t need him to adore you. We need him to love you! Do you want to go back to the ocean and get turned into a shark by that slimy Crowley?”

Castiel looked at him worriedly and shook his head.

“I thought so. We have to up our game.”

Castiel cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“You‘ve got to stop being a blushing maid when you see Dean. You have to be the aggressor this time,” Balthazar said. “You have to seduce him.”

Castiel’s eyes grew wide at the notion. ‘Seduce? How?’ he mouthed.

The crab smirked. “Castiel, my dear, you asked the right person.”

+++

A banquet was being held for Sam’s birthday the next day, and guests from all over the kingdom and beyond arrived at the castle for the celebration. The large patio overlooking the sea was alive with music and merriment, the guests enjoying the best food and wine the kingdom of Winchester had to offer. Prince Dean, however, was preoccupied with other matters.

“What’s taking Cas so long…” Dean said, looking up the stairs. “Bobby, Ellen and Jo are arriving any minute from their trip. I want them to meet him,” he said. Ever since his mother died and his father chose to live in their castle in the outskirts, Bobby and Ellen have acted like Sam and Dean’s second parents, and Jo their little sister.

“As what?” Gabriel scoffed. “Your eternal guest? Or the guy you’re pretty sure you want to drag to your bedroom and spend some profound bonding time with?” Gabriel asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Dean pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck. “Shut up, Gabe. That’s not what it’s like.”

“Oh right… you just totally enjoy making out with the man and don’t want to do anything else,” Gabriel quipped.

Dean balked. “How did you—“

“Sam told me,” Gabriel said, popping a chocolate ball he plucked from the table into his mouth. “When are you ever going to learn you can’t hide anything from Sam?”

Dean frowned. “Dammit, Sammy,” he cursed.

Jo approached him just then and covered his eyes. “Guess who?”

A wide grin spread across Dean’s face. “I don’t know… smells like fish and sea so it can only be Jo the runt,” Dean said playfully.

Jo kicked him in the back of his leg before letting go of him. “You’re still an ass, as usual.”

Dean turned around and hugged Jo tightly. “Welcome back, kiddo,” he said.

+++

Cas walked down the stairs, smoothing his hands down his dress pants. Sam brought these charming formal clothes to his room that afternoon, saying Gabriel picked it for Cas to wear to the banquet. He had to admit, it was a beautiful garment, the dark pants clung to his thighs wonderfully, and the jacket he wore fit his waist and shoulders perfectly. Sam said himself, he looked dashing. He wondered if Dean would say the same.

With his heart pounding hard in his chest, he walked down to the banquet, eyes searching for Dean in the crowd. He found him next to Gabriel… and he had a woman in his arms.

Castiel felt his face grow pale as he continued down the steps. He stopped at the bottom, where the guests were walking around or dancing. He didn’t know whether he should approach Dean or not. He watched Dean and the woman part and talk animatedly with each other and felt his gut twist with jealousy. What if Dean never came to love him? The thought weighed heavily in his mind, and without thinking, he took a glass offered to him by one of the servers and drank it all in one spot. He cringed and gave the glass back to the surprised waiter. Dean loved this liquid. He drank it often at dinner, and sometimes during snack. It tasted bitter, but Cas still took one more glass from the waiter. This drink always made Dean look happy. Maybe he could feel the same way after drinking it, he thought as he quietly made his way down the side and onto the beach below.

He sat himself down on the sand and looked out at the ocean in front of him. He missed his father and his brothers and he missed his home. But he had never felt happy at home. He felt happy here, on land, with Dean. But Dean…

He shook the thought of Dean hugging that woman. He looked at the red liquid in his glass. So much like that red liquid that he drank at Crowley’s cave. He didn’t regret his decision. He loved every minute he was spending as a human, and if he was going to spend the rest of his life as Crowley’s pet shark, then so be it. Cas downed the glass in one go and stood up. He felt his feet wobble beneath him but he still made his way back to where the people gathered. He should get back. It was Sam’s banquet after all, and it would be rude to Sam if he didn’t attend. Plus, Gabriel went to great lengths to give him this outfit. He didn’t want to disappoint.

When he climbed back to the open area, Dean spotted him immediately. “Hey! Where’d you run off to?”

Castiel looked back to the ocean and Dean shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Come, there’re people I’d like you to meet,” Dean said, holding him by the arm and guiding him into the crowd. When Cas’ feet wobbled again, Dean tightened his hold on Cas’ arm. “Wait, were you drinking?” he asked.

Castiel nodded and showed him the empty glass.

Dean plucked the glass from his fingers and handed it to a server. “How much have you had?”

Castiel raised two fingers.

“Okay, that’s not a lot. But it seems like you’re a lightweight,” Dean commented.

Castiel frowned. He looked down at his body. He certainly wasn’t a heavy set man, but he wasn’t stick thin either. Why did Dean say he was light? When Cas looked up again, they were approaching a table, and Cas frowned when he saw the woman sitting there with an elderly couple.

“Is that him?” the old man asked.

“Yeah,” Dean said with a grin. “Guys, this is Castiel. Castiel, this is Bobby, Ellen, and Jo,” he said, introducing his companions.

Castiel stared at their faces with wide eyes. Then he sighed as he shook each of their hands. So the woman before was Jo… someone Dean mentioned he treated like a real sister. Castiel’s relief was beyond words… or well, beyond anything.

“He’s cute!” Jo said, eyeing Cas up and down.

Dean rolled his eyes. “He can’t speak but he can hear you fine, Jo.”

Jo grinned. “I know,” she said, winking at Castiel.

Dean grabbed Castiel’s arm possessively. “Back off, harpy.”

Jo sneered at him and continued to eat her food.

“Cas and I are gonna grab some food to eat too, okay?” Dean said, before guiding Cas away again and sitting him down on a chair. “Don’t move,” Dean said, before he left him there.

Dean returned moments later with a plate full of assorted food. The roasted pork and mashed potatoes looked delicious, though when Cas saw the tails of a couple of shrimp, he cringed.

“You should eat something,” Dean said. “Alcohol on an empty stomach is not so good.”

Castiel looked up at him worriedly before nodding and eating the food Dean gave him.

+++

Later that night, Dean took it in himself to bring Castiel up to his room. Although Cas was far from intoxicated, he was a bit wobbly on his feet and Dean wanted to make sure he didn’t fall and hurt himself.

Dean entered Castiel’s room and helped him out of his jacket. He felt his heart start to race as Castiel stripped out of his waistcoat, until all that remained of his upper garment was the thin, white dress shirt he wore. The shirt was wide and open at the neck too and when Castiel bent down, the shirt slid down one side, revealing a shoulder. Dean gulped audibly before shaking his head and helping Castiel out of his boots.

He pushed Cas to sit down on the bed before he kneeled down in front of him and started undoing the laces. “Next time, drink only what you can,” he said just as he finished pulling off Cas’ boots. When he looked up, he was caught by the heavy stare Cas gave him and before he knew it, Cas was leaning down and kissing him.

Like all of their kisses before, it was electric. Unlike the others before this, however, Cas was a whole lot more responsive, tongue darting in Dean’s mouth even before Dean could react. Before he could even think twice about what he was doing, Dean was pushing Cas down on the bed and pulling the tails of his shirt loose from his pants.

Cas would have moaned loudly if he could when Dean’s hands made their way under his shirt, tracing over his stomach and up his ribs to playfully caress his nipples. He never wanted the use of his voice until that moment, when all he wanted was to tell Dean how much he loved him and wanted him at that very moment. He started pulling Dean’s jacket and Dean got the idea eventually, breaking the kiss long enough to shed his jacket and his shirt.

As Dean stripped, Castiel watched him intently, and he braced himself when Dean, leaving only his pants, climbed onto the bed again on top of Cas. He pulled Cas up so they both lay in the center instead of dangling at the side. Dean kissed him again and it was the most overwhelming feeling Cas had ever felt—until Dean began to rub his hand on Cas’ crotch.

Cas gasped silently, the friction new and unlike anything he felt before. Dean bit his earlobe and licked the reddened flesh. He looked at Castiel’s face after that, and Dean couldn’t help but be at awe at the beauty of Cas’ face, his cheeks flushed and his lips red and hanging open.

“I want to sleep with you, Cas… will you let me?” Dean asked.

Castiel brought his hand to the back of Dean’s head and kissed him. When they parted again, Cas nodded.

That was all the encouragement Dean needed and he proceeded to divest Cas of his clothing before undressing himself. Castiel watched intently as Dean removed his pants. He looked down at his crotch and marveled at the sight of his penis now fully erect. So this was what humans looked like when they were aroused.

He looked up at Dean just as Dean pulled his own pants down and his breath was caught. Dean’s cock was a sight to behold. It stood proudly, flushed dark with blood, with a white liquid pearling at the tip. He wanted to run his hands all over it… but Dean moved to the side and fished out a small bottle from the drawer. It was the healing ointment that Gabriel gave him before.

Dean took one of the pillows and maneuvered Cas so he could place it under Cas’ ass. Cas cocked his head to the side as he looked at the odd placement of the pillow. His attention was soon on Dean when the man opened the bottle and poured liquid onto his fingers. “Spread your legs,” he ordered.

Cas nodded and spread his legs and folded them with his feet planted on the mattress like Dean wanted. He was curious to see what Dean was going to do, and was beyond shocked when Dean bent down and took the tip of his cock in his mouth.

Cas shot up from the bed in surprise, and Dean pulled back and reassured him. “Relax, Cas, just lie down and relax,” he said before taking Cas into his mouth again.

Following Dean’s advice, Cas lied back down on the bed and opened his mouth to moan when Dean started sucking. He wanted to moan loudly, to release the feeling that was starting to overwhelm him, but he couldn’t. No sound still came from his mouth.

And even when he arched his back and tried to scream when he came down Dean’s throat, still he made no sound.

He lied there, boneless, and he watched with half hooded eyes as Dean moved his fingers below his balls, traced down his perineum and finally started feeling around his hole.

Then he felt it, the first breech of a finger in his hole, and it was both an uncomfortable and curious experience at the same time. He looked down on Dean, watched as Dean’s other hand stroked his own cock in time with the shallow thrusts of his finger in Castiel.

After what seemed like ages, Dean added another finger, and continued to thrust them both in Castiel. By this time, the uncomfortable feeling had all but vanished, and when Dean did something with his fingers, Castiel jerked on the bed, feeling like he was going to come again even if it was too much too soon.

Then Dean’s mouth descended again, licking his balls before lapping experimentally at Cas’ hole. He started licking around his fingers and the touch of his deft tongue on Cas’ rim left him near delirious, so he hardly noticed the addition of a third finger in the mix.

Dean pulled his fingers out eventually and with one last swipe of his tongue on Cas’ rim, he sat back up. Reaching for the bottle again, he poured the liquid on his cock and spread it. Then he moved towards Cas and positioned himself. He was struck by the mere sight of Castiel, sweaty and panting, his hair sticking to the sides of his face and it was almost enough for Dean to come right then and there. Squeezing the base of his cock, Dean lined himself up and pushed in.

Castiel’s mouth fell open at the feeling of the head of Dean’s cock pushing in. It felt almost too much, his muscles resisting the intrusion before finally opening up for Dean.

“Cas, you feel… so good…” Dean panted as he slowly slid in deeper and deeper, until he was finally as deep as he could go. He leaned down, capturing Cas’ open mouth in a kiss again before making short, shallow thrusts.

This was an entirely new experience for Cas. Every movement of Dean’s hips sent waves of pleasure coursing through his body. Then Dean pulled himself up again and started thrusting harder, faster, withdrawing up to the tip before slamming back inside Cas so hard, Cas was starting to see stars.

“Cas, Cas, baby, you’re amazing,” Dean said with each thrust. He held the back of Cas’ knees and pushed his legs further apart as he continued thrusting.

Cas wanted to scream. He wanted to moan Dean’s name for everyone to hear, wanted to shout every time Dean’s cock dragged against that spot inside him. He wanted to say Dean’s name with every breath and tell him how much he loved him over and over again. Now he felt like he knew what it was like to be on fire, to feel so much warmth you feel like you will explode.

And for the second time that night, he did.

The moment Cas came again, his muscles fluttered wildly around Dean’s cock and this proved too much for him. “Fuck, Cas, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Dean said as he came deep inside Cas. He continued to thrust through his spend, and he collapsed on top of Cas, breathless and floating high.

He kissed Cas on the lips and sprinkled kisses down his jaw and neck. And Cas thought this was it, that maybe this was the moment Dean declared his love. “God, Cas…” Dean began, “I just… I…” he said, but he never continued.

He slipped out of Cas and rolled to his side, hugging Cas toward him.

Cas was slightly disappointed that Dean didn’t say it. But there would be other times, he thought, as he let himself drift off into a deep sleep.

+++

Castiel thought their coupling would’ve been enough for Dean to say he loved him. But he was wrong. The day the spell would end was drawing nearer and Castiel was running out of time. But he didn’t know what else to do.

Then, it came. The moment that shattered Castiel’s hope of ever remaining by Dean’s side.

 

+++

 

Three days before the month was up, a large storm swept through the kingdom. Dean and Castiel sat by the fireplace in Dean’s chambers, Impala snoozing quietly by their feet.

“Do you like it here, Cas?” Dean asked, wrapping the blanket around them tighter.

Castiel looked up at Dean and nodded.

“I mean… Don’t you miss your home? You must have family where you’re from.”

Castiel contemplated what Dean was saying. Yes, he missed his home. He missed his family, his dad, all of the fish and the merpeople. But he had never been this happy under the sea. He was happy with Dean—and he knew of only one way to say that.

He leaned in close to Dean and pressed his lips against his. It was a slow and intimate kiss, Dean’s hand cradling the back of Cas’ head gently. When they parted, Dean kept his hand on Cas’ nape, playing with the strands of hair there as he kept his focus on Cas’ face. Even without words, Dean could see so much love and emotion in Cas’ face. It made him forget how to breathe. “Cas…” he whispered. “Cas I—“

A loud knock on the door rang through the whole room and startled Dean and Cas out of the trance they seemed to be in. Cas watched in disappointment as Dean got up and padded to the door. He heard Dean talking to someone who sounded very alarmed, and Dean’s expression suddenly changed. He looked towards Cas. “Someone’s been badly injured in the storm, we’re calling on Gabriel. I’ll be right back,” he told Cas. Cas just nodded in response.

He waited for Dean in Dean’s chambers but when an hour passed and he still hadn’t returned, Castiel went out of the room to look for him. He found Dean, Sam and Gabriel in one of the rooms downstairs, Gabriel tending to someone lying on the bed.

“It only seems to be a minor injury,” he heard Gabriel say. “It will heal in a few days.”

“Thank you,” the man said, and a chill went down Castiel’s spine at the sound.

The man’s voice… that was his voice!

Cas walked closer until the man’s face came into view. The man was a stranger but he had dark hair and features somewhat similar to Castiel’s—except his eyes were a rich shade of brown. When Cas approached the bed, Dean stopped him. “He needs some rest, Cas, come on,” Dean said, pulling him away from the bed.

“Tell me where else are you hurt?” Gabriel asked the man.

“My leg…” the man answered.

Cas was frozen on the spot, his gaze focused intently on the man as Dean tried to pull him away. Why did this man have his voice?

“Come on Cas, it’s late. They have to treat him,” Dean said, pulling him towards the door. Just as Dean closed the door behind him, the man looked up at Cas and his eyes glowed an eerie red for a split second. Cas turned and pushed the door open again in alarm. It banged on the wall hard and everyone stopped and looked at him. But Castiel didn’t notice. He kept his attention on the man, who looked up at him innocently.

“What’s wrong Cas?” Dean asked as Cas finally let himself be led out of the room. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Cas’ eyes were wide. He couldn’t have seen it wrong. Those eyes… they were Crowley’s eyes.

Dean walked with him all the way back to his own room. “Get some rest,” he told Cas. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said.

+++

Cas spent the rest of the night in a fitful sleep. When he woke up, it was to the sight of Sam and Gabriel looming over him. “Hey Cas, I have no time to explain but we better go now,” Gabriel said to him.

Within minutes, Castiel found himself in a carriage bound for Gabriel’s home. Cas looked at Gabriel in question, then at Sam. They both looked troubled. “Dean is… Dean’s not feeling well,” Sam told him.

“Oh please, Sam, the man needs to know the truth,” Gabriel said suddenly. “Look here, Cas,” he began, placing a hand on Cas’ shoulder. “I don’t know what happened but suddenly Dean’s been speaking nonsense today.”

Castiel frowned.

“He wouldn’t leave Mark’s side the whole night,” Gabriel said. “The man you saw last night. His name is Mark, apparently,” he explained.

Castiel jolted in alarm. Crowley!

“And now Dean suddenly thinks he’s in love.”

‘No!’ Castiel wanted to scream.

“I’m sorry we had to get you out of the palace,” Sam said. “Dean ordered that you be imprisoned for impersonating his savior.”

‘Impersonating? That’s wrong!’ Castiel’s mind screamed. ‘I saved him!’ he tried to mouth, tapping his chest with his hand urgently.

“I know Cas, I know it’s you who saved him,” Sam said. “But get this: Dean said he was saved by a man with blue eyes before. Now, since this Mark appeared, Dean is ignoring what he said before and claiming that this is the man who saved him instead. It feels wrong. I can feel it in my gut… that man’s up to no good.”

“I bet it’s magic,” Gabriel declared.

“There’s no such—“ Sam was about to say but Gabriel shushed him with an impatient wave of his hand.

“Oh stop it for one second will you? How else can you explain it? We all know Dean’s head over heels for Cas, and then Mark appears, and all of a sudden he’s throwing Cas in jail and marrying this guy? It’s impossible! You know your brother. Dean would never do that.”

‘Marrying?!’ Castiel tried to stand from his seat in alarm, intent on getting off the carriage and back to the palace.

“Whoa, are you insane?” Gabriel said, pulling Castiel back to sit. “You can’t just get off of a moving carriage. Besides, if the guards see you, they’ll lock you up,” Gabriel told him. “You’re hiding in my house for now until we figure this whole thing out.”

Sam shot Castiel a worried look. “I’m sorry, Cas. I’ll try to talk my brother out of this. And alright, alright, if it IS magic, we’ll find a way to break the spell before they wed in two days.”

+++

“I’m going to tell your father,” Balthazar said once they were safely inside a room in Gabriel’s house.

Castiel shook his head.

“He’s the only one who can stop Crowley now. He has to know,” Balthazar explained. He placed his claw over Castiel’s hand in reassurance. “You won’t get turned into a shark by that slimy Crowley. Your father is far more powerful than some sea demon. He will be fine. And you will get to live with your prince. Trust me.”

Castiel looked at Balthazar worriedly before nodding his head.

“Great. I do hope I get back to the kingdom in time. Wish me luck!” he said.

Castiel mouthed ‘good luck!’ at him before Balthazar jumped out of his window and made his arduous journey to the river and back to the sea.

+++

On the day of the wedding, Balthazar had yet to return.

Sam was now convinced Dean was under some sort of magic, and he was hell bent on exposing Mark for the fraud that he was. “Dean would never act like that. He’s spouting love poems and singing praises about Mark. It’s creepy,” Sam commented.

“How do we defeat someone with magic then?” Gabriel asked.

Cas thought about it for a moment. Crowley was using his voice. This meant he had the vial containing his voice with him. Cas had an idea.

He stood up from his seat and rummaged through Gabriel’s drawer.

“What’re you doing?” Gabriel asked.

After a few more seconds, he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a vial and showed it to them.

“A vial?” Gabriel asked, and Cas nodded eagerly. “What does that have to do with magic?”

Sam looked at the vial in Cas’ hands intently. “Wait, Mark… he kept a small vial hung around his neck with a string. It had something bright and blue in it.”

Cas nodded enthusiastically, pointing to the vial in his hand again.

“I remember seeing that vial when I was treating him. I told him to remove it from his neck so I could check his wounds but he refused and didn’t even let me touch it. I didn’t think it was weird at first, but now that you mention it, it’s really, really weird,” Gabriel said.

“You think that’s his magic? If we get rid of the vial, will that break the spell?” Sam asked.

“It’s worth a shot,” Gabriel said. “Alright kiddos, let’s go break up a wedding.”

+++

Getting Cas back in the palace was surprisingly easy. Sam knew all the secret passageways that led them directly to the patio where the wedding was being held. There, guests were waiting for the wedding to begin. The looks of confusion were evident on their faces, for they had no idea who this person was that Dean was marrying. Even Jo and Ellen looked troubled as they sat by the pews up front. Bobby, on the other hand, was just plain annoyed as he talked to the priest, who every so often would shake his head.

“Bobby tried to talk Dean out of marrying this guy,” Gabriel whispered to Cas. “Dean just played the ‘you’re not my father’ card. It was a bloodbath.”

Castiel looked worriedly at Bobby. This whole thing wasn’t just hurting him, it was also hurting everyone who was close to Dean. It was all his fault. He didn’t mean to cause them pain. He had to stop Crowley no matter what.

+++

After a few minutes, Sam stepped out of the palace wearing a white suit. He looked uncomfortable as he walked down the aisle to take his place at the front as Dean’s best man. Then Dean came out, and Castiel’s world slowed down around him. This was the first time he was seeing Dean again since Crowley arrived—and Dean looked nothing like himself. He was pale, the sun-kissed glow jarringly absent from his skin. His face looked blank as well, and his eyes, once bright and green, were now dark and murky like the life was sucked out of him. Castiel wanted to run out to him and hold him in his arms.

Then Mark stepped out, and Castiel went from worried to seething. Even though he looked like an ordinary man, Castiel could now feel the magic emanating from him. No doubt that man was Crowley, and when the slowly setting sun’s light reached Mark’s eyes, they glowed bright red, confirming Castiel’s suspicions.

But Castiel soon realized his mistake when he saw the sun begin to set in the horizon. He had forgotten all about his deadline. Within minutes, he would turn into a merman and Crowley would take him and change him into a shark completely. He would never see Dean again.

Without even realizing it, Castiel stepped out of the crowd and ran towards Crowley.

“Mother of—Castiel!” Gabriel hissed, but it was too late, Castiel was almost at the altar.

The guests gasped and Mark turned just in time to see Castiel barreling towards him. His eyes glowed bright red and with a quick wave of his hand, he sent Castiel flying across the patio and landing violently on the stone floor. Gabriel rushed to Cas’ side, helping him up.

The guests screamed and tried to run away in fear, but Mark shook his head in disapproval. In an instant, sharp and jagged whale bones emerged from the sea and were impaled around the patio, imprisoning everyone. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked the crowd. “There’s a wedding going on. You wouldn’t want to miss the entertainment, now do you?” he said. Beside him, Dean looked on impassively.

Sam tried to grab Mark from behind but Mark held out a hand and froze Sam on the spot. “I wouldn’t try anything funny if I were you, moose,” he said.

“You’re not marrying my brother,” Sam said through gritted teeth.

This made Mark laugh. “Dear me, why would I even want to do that?” he said. “I just wanted to have a bit of fun with little Castiel over here.”

Castiel shook away the pain in his body and stood ready to attack Mark again.

“Won’t be long now Castiel, before you become my pet,” he said, glancing at the setting sun. “You didn’t really think the human would fall in love with you, did you? I gave you time, Castiel. Plenty of time. I really did want you to succeed,” he said with feigned sympathy.

“Wow, this guy’s a slimy asshole,” Gabriel muttered.

“Now I guess it’s back to the ocean for you,” Mark said.

Gabriel blinked in confusion. “What’s he talking about?” he asked, but Castiel kept his eyes on Crowley, wishing he could do something, anything.

“Oh? Didn’t you tell your friends, Castiel? Oh wait, I forgot, you couldn’t. See Castiel here—“ Mark was beginning to explain, when out of nowhere Bobby came and growled, “You don’t mess with my family, you asshole,” before delivering a skull rattling punch straight on Mark’s jaw.

The force of the blow made Mark’s head snap sideways, the shining blue vial tied to his neck slipping out of his shirt. Castiel took this opportunity and ran straight towards Mark, tackling him to the ground. He grabbed hold of the string and pulled at it with all his might. It snapped, sending the vial flying in the air. It crashed by Dean’s feet, and in an instant the blue light erupted, blinding everyone for a split second.

When the light subsided, Dean blinked, his eyes now their usual bright green. “Cas?” he asked in confusion.

“Dean!” Cas gasped. Then he put a hand against his throat in surprise. “I can talk again!” he said, getting up and rushing to hug Dean.

Just as they were about to touch, Cas froze.

“You’re too late!” Mark said in triumph.

Cas glanced at the sun and his eyes widened in fear. Then he looked back at Dean helplessly before he fell to the floor in agony.

Mark cackled loudly as he stood up from the floor, and slowly his features morphed, until he finally showed his true appearance. His tentacles slithered on the floor, sending the guests into new fits of screaming and tears.

Dean’s eyes flew to the sea demon, and then back at Castiel crumpled on the floor. He knelt down to help Cas, but Cas pushed him away. “No, Dean. Don’t look!” he pleaded.

“Cas, what’s going on?” he asked, but Cas didn’t have to answer. Instead, he transformed. His pants tore as his tail took shape and his great white shark coloring returned. Dean’s jaw dropped as he watched Castiel turn back into a merman. “You’re—“ he said breathlessly, unable to believe his own eyes.

“I’m sorry, Dean. I’m so sorry,” Castiel apologized.

Then one of Crowley’s tentacles wrapped around Castiel’s torso and pulled him away from Dean.

“No!” Dean screamed, reaching his hand out to grab Castiel’s, but Crowley only slithered away.

“Sorry, lover boy. This merman is mine,” Crowley gloated as Castiel struggled to free himself from his grasp. “Oh, if only you confessed your love sooner,” he taunted Dean.

Dean’s face grew murderous, pulling out a knife from his belt. “Let him go,” he said.

Crowley laughed. “You’re going to attack me with a bread knife? Please! I always knew you humans were stupid, but not this—“ before he could finish the sentence, he howled in pain as Castiel used his magic on the tentacle holding him, making it explode into a thousand pieces.

Castiel toppled to the ground just as Dean lunged forward and drove his knife into Crowley’s chest, missing his heart by a mere inch. Crowley screamed in pain and in anger, his magic exploding from him and sending nearly half of the patio crashing onto the beach below.

The next thing Dean realized, he was lying on rubble and sand, and when he looked up, Crowley was dragging Castiel back into the sea. Dean grabbed Sam’s sword and ran after them, Gabriel and Sam’s screams for him to come back going unheard.

He grabbed at one of Crowley’s tentacles at the last second, and all three of them plunged into the depths of the water. He struck at Crowley with the sword and it sliced through his side. Crowley grabbed him by the neck and pulled him deeper and deeper into the ocean. Already his vision was going black. He was going to drown.

“Dean!” Cas yelled in alarm. This was it. Crowley was going to kill Dean. He couldn’t let Dean die. He had to save Dean!

With speed he didn’t know he possessed, he swam towards Crowley, and gathered all of his remaining magic in his palms. The moment his palms touched Crowley’s skin, the sea demon was thrown violently backward and Dean was freed. Crowley slammed into the rocks below with bone-crushing force and Castiel pulled Dean by his arm and swam as fast as he could to the surface. It was almost like the first time he saved Dean, and once they broke the surface, Castiel searched Dean’s face for any signs of life. “Please be alive, please be alive,” he chanted. Then Dean sputtered water out of his mouth and opened his eyes. “Cas…” he said with a groan.

“Dean! Cas!” they heard Sam call out.

Cas turned and saw Sam and Gabriel rowing a small boat towards them. He helped them carry Dean into the boat. “Take Dean back to the shore,” he told them.

“No, Cas, I won’t leave—“ Dean protested weakly.

“Go. Take him away from here. It’s not safe,” Cas said.

“No, Cas! I can’t lose you,” he said, reaching his hand out for Cas.

“You won’t,” Cas said before diving back down into the water.

+++

Castiel swam back just as Crowley started getting up. He knew his magic would not be enough to stop him. And now that he had depleted all of his energy, he didn’t know how else he could defeat Crowley.

“You and your human gave me so much trouble. When I’m done with you, I think I’ll go back and teach that Dean a lesson,” Crowley said, spitting out blood from his mouth in disgust. “Now let’s see how much your father is willing to pay to prevent his son from turning into a shark…”

“This was your plan all along?” Castiel said in alarm. “You’re using me as a bargaining chip to get back at my father?”

Crowley stopped and blinked. “Why yes, I thought it would be obvious by now,” he said. “No matter how much you fight me, you can’t escape. We had a deal.”

“Leave them out of this! My father, and Dean, they had nothing to do with our deal,” Castiel said.

Crowley paused, seemingly contemplating his options for a bit. Then finally he said, “No. I don’t think so,” he said.

Furiously, Castiel charged at Crowley but the sea demon parried his attack with a swoosh of his tentacles. “You’re no match for me, little merman!”

“He isn’t, but I am.”

They both turned around and found Chuck and an army of mermen swimming towards them, a worried Balthazar hitching a ride on Chuck’s crown. “Let my son go,” Chuck said.

Crowley chuckled. “No can do. We had a deal. He will be my great white shark unless you strike a bargain with me.”

Chuck menacingly pointed his trident at Crowley. “How is this for a deal. You break your deal with my son and I keep you alive,” Chuck said.

This made Crowley laugh even harder. “You fool! Even if you kill me, the deal still stands. Castiel’s soul is mine, and before the sun rises tomorrow, he will be a shark.”

Chuck placed the tip of his trident against Crowley’s throat with just enough controlled force not to break skin. “That may be so, Crowley. But you underestimate my power and the power of the most powerful mermen in the sea. While your corpse rots on the ocean floor, we will have all the time in the world to gather our magic and counter your curse. I give it a day, maybe two at most, before we break the spell.”

This time, Crowley’s laugh was more nervous than confident. “You-you’re bluffing,” he said.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Chuck said, his trident starting to glow. “But I suppose you will never find out, now will you?” he said.

Crowley’s eyes grew wide in fear. “Fine fine, you have your deal. Your son is free to go, just leave me in peace,” he said, and with a snap of Crowley’s fingers, the magic binding Castiel was gone.

Chuck eased his trident from Crowley’s neck, and the moment he did, the sea demon shimmered and disappeared into a puff of red ink. Once all of the ink dispersed, Chuck sighed in relief.

“Father,” Castiel whispered in disbelief.

Chuck looked at Castiel with a troubled expression before pulling his son into a tight hug. “Oh Castiel,” he said.

Cas hugged his father back tightly. “I am so sorry, father. I was so childish and selfish.”

“That doesn’t matter now,” Chuck said. “What matters is you’re safe,” he said. “You’re my son and I care about you, whether you believe me or not.”

“I believe you father,” Castiel replied. “I will not be so foolish again.”

Chuck smiled and looked at Castiel’s face. “Following one’s heart is not such a foolish thing to do.”

“Father?” Cas asked in confusion.

“The human. You love him, don’t you?” Chuck asked.

At the thought of Dean, Castiel’s face fell. He could not be with Dean anymore, not after all that had happened.

“Do you want to go back to him?” Chuck asked.

“I cannot, father,” Castiel replied. “He saw who I am… he would not want to live with someone like me…”

“He fought against a sea demon to save you. I believe it’s safe to assume the boy doesn’t care you have a tail instead of legs,” he said.

Castiel tried to smile at his father’s words, but it was no use. “It doesn’t matter now. I am not human, father. There’s no way for me to—“

“What do you think of me? Am I not the god of the sea?” Chuck said, acting affronted. “I have powers too, you know!”

“You can? And you will—” Castiel said in disbelief. “You will allow me to become human?” Castiel asked, his voice unsure yet full of hope.

Chuck smiled. “I only want you to be happy… and if your happiness lies on land with that human, then so be it,” he declared.

“And that’s not all!” Balthazar happily chimed in. “If you wish to return to the sea from time to time, you’re always free to come by for a visit. Just give us advanced notice so your father can turn you back temporarily.”

Castiel’s eyes grew wide in surprise, and he hugged Balthazar and his father tightly. Then Alfie raced towards him and gave him a big hug as well. “You just came back! And now you’re going again!” Alfie complained. “Promise me you’ll come by for a visit someday? I can’t tend to your human artifact collection alone.”

Castiel smiled and patted Alfie’s side. “Of course,” he said. “Thank you, Alfie.”

++

At the shore, exactly where Dean first met Cas, he was pacing. “Castiel! You son of a bitch! You better be alive!” he shouted to the sea.

Then, a particularly large wave came crashing to the shore, sweeping Dean off his feet and submerging him in water. He closed his eyes and held his breath, and when the water receded a second later, Cas was already on top of him, naked. When Cas opened his eyes he saw Dean looking at him with a shocked expression.

“You’re… you’re alive,” Dean said breathlessly.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel said as they both stood up. Then Dean embraced Cas. “Don’t ever leave me again, okay?” he said.

“Yes, Dean,” Cas replied.

When they parted, Dean held Cas by his shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a merman?” Dean asked, “Oh, right, never mind,” Dean said immediately after realizing the answer for himself.

“You don’t mind, do you? That I am not really a human?” Castiel asked tentatively.

Dean grinned. “You know, I kinda suspected from the start. I mean, your palm is seared on my shoulder after all,” he said. This earned a light chuckle from Castiel, and Dean smiled wider and brushed a wet lock of hair from Cas’ face. “And no, I don’t mind,” he said. “I thought your shark tail was pretty impressive.”

Castiel blinked in surprise. “You were—you weren’t frightened of me?”

“Me? Frightened?” Dean scoffed. “That was you, why would I be frightened?”

Castiel smiled as tears of joy welled in his eyes. Dean accepted him. To Dean, he wasn’t a freak or something to be scared of. To Dean, he was merely Castiel. It was more than Castiel could’ve ever asked for. “Thank you, Dean,” he said.

“What are you thanking me for?” Dean asked. “This is all my fault. None of this undersea fiasco would’ve happened if I just manned up. I know I’m the king of denial and emotional constipation… but this is better late than never….” He said.

Cas cocked his head to the side as he waited for Dean to continue.

“I love you, Castiel,” Dean said.

The gravity of those words gave Cas so much happiness and he pounced at Dean and kissed him for all he was worth.

When they parted, Dean grinned at Cas slyly. “You know… I could get used to seeing you naked all the time. It’s a good look on you,” Dean quipped.

Cas looked down and flushed when he realized he was naked on the beach while Dean was fully clothed. He tried to cover himself with his hands, but Dean just laughed.

“We could try something new… how ‘bout doing it on the beach?”

Cas frowned. “My father could be watching,” he said.

Dean looked to the ocean and cringed. “Oh, eew,” he said. “Let’s just get you clothes now, alright?” Dean said.

Cas nodded. “And Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you, too,” Cas said.

Dean beamed. “I know. Come on, Sam and Gabriel would want to know what happened to you and to that octopus-man….”

“He was a sea demon, not an octopus,” Cas corrected.

“Well, then you have a lot of explaining to do,” Dean said.

Cas smiled. “That’s okay. I have all the time in the world.”

From that day on, Castiel, the little merman, lived with Prince Dean in his palace. Every now and then, he would come to visit his home under the sea with Dean, who was transformed temporarily into a merman every time they visited. The other merpeople still despised humans, but they learned to accept Dean’s presence eventually.

They soon wed on by the beach where Cas brought Dean after saving him, and they became well loved rulers of the kingdom. And they lived happily ever after.

 

The End


End file.
